It should've been only about the four hundred
by MGtwins
Summary: Kelly Severide is used to have his way with women. But what happens when the only girl he has ever really wanted doesn't fall under his spell?
1. The Bet

**Hello everybody! This is the first fanfic on the site about this pair so we hope to do them justice. We know that Elise hasn't been on the show for over a year but we do have a feeling she's coming back soon. In the meantime enjoy this story and if you do, please let us know. It always means a lot to us to know what you guys think. This is too long already so let's cut to the chase:**

"**The Bet"**

"And stay the hell away from my sister, got that?"

Peter Mills' right hand had moved faster than Severide's reflexes. Even though he was used to a couple of boxing sessions a week, the other firefighter's hook had caught him completely off guard.

Kelly was on the floor but could hear the last words spoken by Mills before he exited the common room furiously.

Everybody from truck 81 and squad 3 had been there when the fight started.

In a way, Severide had that coming. Maybe he hadn't anticipated the punch, but Mills had reasons to act the way he did and who could blame him, actually? Any guy in that situation would've done the same. Hell, Kelly himself would be more than pleased to hit the asshole that had hurt his sister. But the problem was that Peter didn't know the whole story. He hadn't heard Severide's version yet. And even though Kelly respected the other fireman for defending his family he just wouldn't be able to comply with Mills' request. Severide couldn't stay away from Elise. At least, not anymore.

**Two months earlier:**

It had been a long while since last she was there. After Renee and the whole baby episode, he hadn't thought about her anymore. Not that he had forgotten her or anything like that, it just seemed like he had finally accepted the fact that she wasn't going to fall for him. Ever. It was better that way, really. Kelly had never been very patient when it came to chase women. He really hadn't thought about her. At least not until that morning.

When Elise arrived to Firehouse 51 with the ingredients for that day's lunch, Severide found it hard to believe that he really hadn't thought about that incredible pair of eyes not even once since last time she went to visit them.

As soon as he saw her, the fireman ran towards her in order to help with the bags and boxes she was carrying.

"Now that your brother is on the squad he doesn't have to worry about lunch anymore." Kelly said easily taking all the things she so effortfully was trying to hold.

"Actually, coming here was my idea. I figured that none of you had been a chef before becoming a firefighter."

She said and smiled. Severide smiled back at her almost unconsciously.

"Well, you figured right."

They stared at each other for a moment and Kelly mentally cursed himself for giving up on her so easily. Before he could say anything in an attempt to get back the time he had lost, Elise spoke:

"I think you should take those things to the kitchen so I can start cooking."

Now he remembered why he had pulled back in the first place. Elise was, as cocky as that sounded, the only woman he had ever met who looked unaffected by his presence.

Since they were formally introduced by Peter Mills, Kelly had shown her clear signs of interest. Elise, however, didn't even seem to notice.

"You got it. I'll take everything."

"Good. I gotta have a word with Peter first, but I'll meet you there in a second, ok?"

"Yeah, of course." He said and grabbed the last bag from her hands.

Elise then walked away in order to find Peter around the Firehouse and Severide stood there for a moment longer, just observing her.

"Ouch. That must've hurt." A voice echoed from truck 81.

"What?" Kelly asked turning to the source of the sound.

Cruz and Otis were organizing some things in the garage.

"Your failed attempt to impress Mills' sister." Cruz explained.

Severide just laughed:

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Otis and Cruz looked at each other in disbelief.

"At least have the decency to admit that you've just been rejected, Severide." Otis said and then carried on "Look, I now that this might come as a shock to you and, believe me, to me too but apparently not all women in the world get wooed by the amazing Kelly Severide."

"I'm shocked myself bro, I swear." Cruz commented ironically.

Kelly was irritated to say the least. Having Cruz and Otis mocking him was, by far, the lowest point he had reached reputation-wise. And the worst part was: they actually had a point.

Severide, however, wasn't willing to be humiliated anymore, not by those two at least:

"So, you guys think I can't get Mills' sister, is that it?"

The firefighters, who up until then, were laughing uncontrollably, got serious. It took a few seconds for Otis to finally speak:

"Well, I think it's been proved that you don't stand a chan…"

"So, you're willing to put some money on that?" Severide cut him off.

Cruz and Otis glanced at each other briefly. If they said no, they would be indirectly implying that Severide could indeed have any woman he wanted.

Cruz cleared his throat:

"How much?"

Kelly thought about it for less than a second:

"Two hundred dollars…each."

Otis' eyes widened:

"Man, that's a lot of money."

"Well, if I don't stand a chance as you stated earlier, I don't see why you shouldn't do it." Severide teased.

After a five-minute debate on whether or not they should take the bet, Cruz and Otis were finally in. Kelly was very pleased with how the situation had turned out to be: not only had he managed to shut the two firemen up, but also was about to get four hundred dollars richer in a near future. He adjusted the bags and boxes around his arms so they wouldn't fall and headed to the kitchen.

That was going to be fun.


	2. Piles of Vegetables, Meat, Legume

"**Piles of Vegetables, Meat, Legume… and that damn Corn"**

Severide gave one last look at the piles of ingredients brought by Elise that now occupied the whole kitchen counter. Kelly had carefully separated everything in three categories: pile number one was filled with tomatoes and some other vegetables he had never seen before. Pile number two, that he had named the meat pile, had been the easiest to put together: chicken and pounds of sausage. The last pile was made out of everything that didn't really fit into the other two. Perhaps he could call it the legume pile because it was packed with cans of pea, beans and corn. He wasn't entirely sure if corn was a legume or a vegetable but aesthetically speaking it had looked better among the peas than with the tomatoes.

The fireman admired his work for the last time and then rested by the side of the counter, trying the best pose he could manage. He straightened his back, contracted his biceps and tried to look as if he wasn't putting any effort into that at all.

Elise's voice approaching made him nervous. He couldn't afford to lose two hundred dollars! The door opened and her presence calmed him down. He smiled, but as soon as he saw Peter Mills behind her he closed his lips.

The two siblings walked into the kitchen silently, but Kelly couldn't help but notice that they had argued or something. Elise walked past him and got impressed:

"Wow! You've organized everything."

Severide smiled proudly:

"Well, I tried. But the corn's still a mystery to me."

She laughed:

"It's okay. I like the way it looks with the peas."

Good one, Kelly! The firefighter thought. Those would be the easiest four hundred bucks he had ever gotten in his life.

"Hey, Lieutenant." Peter Mills said and only then Severide remembered he was still there.

"Can I have a word with you?"

Kelly looked at Elise before looking at Mills:

"Can't it wait?" he asked clearly annoyed.

"Well, it's not that urgent… but I figured that since the day's kinda slow…I mean if you don't have anything more important to do…"

"No, it's okay." Kelly interrupted and looked at Elise again:

"Whatever it is that you're planning to make with all this, I wanna help."

"No, it's fine." She replied "I'm pretty sure you have a lot of other things to do and…"

"I insist." He cut her off. "And besides, like your brother said, the day's really slow." He stated and followed Mills.

"Don't start without me!" Kelly concluded and once again got a smile out of her lips. He had to admit that making her smile was becoming one of his new favorite things.

Severide had to run a little to catch up with Mills and once he did he tapped him on the back:

"This is gonna be quick, right?"

Peter found his reaction a bit strange but answered the question anyway:

"Yeah, I think so."

The two firefighters then headed to an empty corner down the hall. Kelly even considered taking Peter to his office but that was too far and the place they were at was good enough.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Severide wasn't willing to waste any more time.

"Well, I…I wanted to ask you something…" Peter started "And I would never, ever ask you that unless I really had to…"

"Spit it out, Mills." Kelly said trying to hide part of his irritation.

"Do you think it would be okay if I took some extra shifts?" Peter finally managed to say what he had in mind "I know that I've just gotten to the squad and all, but I really need the money. My mom's having some problems with the diner and I…"

"It's okay by me." Severide cut him off. Partly because he trusted Mills and knew he was able to deliver but mainly because he couldn't wait to get out of there and go back to the kitchen.

"Really?" Mills looked genuinely surprised. "Lieutenant, I don't even know how to thank you…"

"You don't have to. Just do a good job." Kelly said "And don't forget to give the chief the heads-up. You can say that I have already authorized it."

Severide concluded and decided that that conversation was over.

"Hey, Lieutenant!" Mills called out after they were already a few feet apart.

Kelly turned impatiently:

"What?"

"Thank you."

Severide nodded in acceptance and finally walked away. In a few seconds, he was already back to the common room. The place was exactly the way he had left it: empty, except for that top of a head with dark hair which was now searching for something in one of the bottom drawers behind the counter.

"I'm back! We can start now." Severide said excited.

Elise then stood up. But the problem was: that wasn't Elise.

"Well, I'm pretty sure you're not talking to me."

"Dawson!" Kelly exclaimed clearly disappointed "what are you doing here? Where's Mills' sister?"

Gabby could've asked the reason for his sudden interest. But since she had seen Elise before and knew Kelly very well, the question itself was a complete waste of time.

"She went out."

The fireman just stared at Dawson, waiting for her to elaborate the sentence.

"Is she coming back?" Severide finally asked as soon as he realized Gabby wasn't willing to share any information that easily.

"She's forgotten to bring potatoes from the diner so she went out to buy some." The paramedic explained "she should be back in a minute."

Kelly relaxed a little after that answer and pulled a chair so he could wait for her comfortably.

Dawson then decided to ignore him and continue to do her own things. But she just couldn't:

"Kelly, she's Peter's sister."

She was as straightforward as she could and hoped he would be able to understand. And he did, but preferred to pretend otherwise.

"I know that." Severide stated and then didn't say another word.

His silence bothered Gabby, mainly because she knew he had understood exactly what she had meant. She joined him in his quietness but her eyes were practically screaming.

"What?" the fireman asked playfully before those furious eyes.

"You know what." The paramedic wasn't in the mood for jokes "you can't just simply…"

"I'm so sorry for taking this long." Elise walked in "but I had to go to three different places to find these potatoes." She concluded trying to get her way with the two heavy bags she was carrying.

Kelly quickly stood up in order to help her, but Gabby was faster.

Elise laughed at their solicitude and didn't know to whom she should hand the bags.

"Let me get them for you." This time Severide acted quicker and gained a smile from Elise and a disapproving look from Dawson.

The three then headed to the kitchen to finally start to prepare lunch. Kelly knew that Gabby was always willing to help, but he also knew that that wasn't the main reason for her to be there.

"You know Dawson, you don't have to be here if you don't want to. I'm pretty sure four hands are enough." Severide teased but he was really trying to get rid of her.

The paramedic, however, pretended not to notice his innuendo:

"We're cooking for a whole battalion here. I'm sure an extra pair is always welcome." She said and waited for Elise's consent. "Right?" she then turned to face Mills' sister.

"Yeah, of course! Any kind of help is welcome."

Dawson smiled and made sure Severide could see that. When Elise got distracted fixing some other stuff, Gabby approached him:

"See, she agreed with me." She mocked.

Kelly didn't say a word and his silence was even more satisfactory.

"_Truck 81, Ambulance 61. Car accident. 360, West Lower Wacker." _

And suddenly the roles had changed. Now Kelly was the one with the big smile on his face, finding Gabby's silence very pleasing.

"Well, it looks like your pair of hands won't be able to help after all." He said sarcastically.

The paramedic had to fight back her almost uncontrollable desire to punch him in the face but left without saying anything.

"I guess now it's just you and me, girl." He said.

"Yeah, I think so." Elise agreed "And I was here thinking that the squad worked the most. At least, that's what Peter always says. But, apparently…" she joked and this time was Kelly who laughed.

"Well, we might work less but we're the ones who have to deal with the heavy stuff."

"Peter always says that too."

They smiled at each other. That was good, Kelly thought. They were laughing, the conversation was flowing, she was finally being more receptive…it was all going perfectly well.

"So, what do I do?" Kelly asked ready to be useful. "I'd volunteer to chop the onions but the last experience I had with that kinda made me cry." He remembered thanksgiving.

Once again, he managed to gain a smile. He admired her for a second, but her cell ringing spoiled the moment they were having.

"Hello?" she picked it up and walked away.

Severide tried to focus on the food, but he could hear pieces of conversation here and there.

A few minutes later, Elise returned. She looked serious.

"Is everything okay?" Kelly asked slightly worried.

"Yeah." She answered "but I'm afraid I'll have to leave you in charge of today's lunch."

"What?" Severide was a little scared by now.

"Elise, I have no idea what…"

"Find Peter! He'll help you out." She said already leaving "I really gotta go. I'm sorry."

Elise concluded and a second later, she was already gone.

Severide then found himself alone in the kitchen, holding a knife in his hand surrounded by piles of vegetables, meat, legume…and that damn corn.


	3. Leftovers

"**Leftovers"**

It was not a secret that Severide loved his job. Like he used to say himself: he had been a firefighter since the day he was born.

On that day, however, Kelly couldn't wait for his shift to end. He had more two hours to go and every second passed was watched closely by him while he stared at the clock. He knew those two hours would feel like two days.

They had been called up only twice and the day had been tedious. Except, of course, for Elise's visit earlier and that was, as a matter of fact, the reason for Kelly's anxiety.

The fireman thought about the bet and concluded that up until that point, at least, Otis and Cruz had had the upper hand. Their luck was about to change though, because Kelly stood up and decided that it was time for him to pay her a little visit.

* * *

The diner's door opened slowly and the few customers that occupied the place barely noticed his presence. Elise, who was handing the menu to an old lady, didn't notice him either.

Kelly quickly saw her and preferred to stand so she could see him too. She took the woman's order and when she turned to head to the kitchen, she finally spotted Severide. She found his presence there a bit strange but smiled and approached him:

"What are you doing here?" Elise asked "If you're looking for Peter, I'm afraid to say he won't come today."

"I'm not looking for Mills." Kelly stated and took a while just observing her. She looked sexy with that apron on.

"So, what are you looking for?" She broke the silence clearly bothered with the way he was looking at her.

"Actually, I came to see you." The firefighter said and hoped she wouldn't take it the wrong way.

"Me?" She sounded surprised. "Why?"

"To give you this." Severide reached out his arm and handed her a small bag.

"What is it?" she smiled curiously and accepted the gift.

She then directed herself to the counter and Kelly followed.

"I thought you'd like to try it." He said while she took a plate carefully wrapped out of the plastic bag.

"I recognize these ingredients." Elise stated impressed. "You made this?"

Kelly didn't answer right away, instead he handed her a fork and a knife.

"I'm only gonna answer that after you try it and say it's good."

She laughed and took the utensils. Elise tried to gather in a single bite all the ingredients that formed the meal. She then took the fork to her mouth and decided to make a little suspense.

"So?" Severide was eager to know.

Elise chewed the food a little longer and only then gave the verdict:

"It's actually pretty good."

Kelly grinned at her approval.

"However…" She took another bite "now that I have tried it, there's no way you can convince me that you were the one who made this."

Severide tried to come up with a reply but she prevented him from doing so:

"I was the one who taught my brother how to cook. I'd recognize his food anywhere!" Elise put more food in her mouth and smiled proudly. Kelly smiled too.

"I did help him with the tomatoes though."

Her smile grew wider.

"Good. This meal wouldn't be the same without the tomatoes." She joked and they both laughed.

And there she was, laughing again. He could watch her like that forever.

"So, what are you doing when you leave here?" Severide interrupted her laughter.

Elise got serious almost immediately and Kelly regretted being that straightforward. But who could blame him, really? He was used to act like that around women and it always worked.

"Look Kelly, I don't mean to be rude or anything but…"

"I know." He cut her off "I didn't mean to offend you. I just…" Severide wasn't able to finish his sentence.

That had never happened to him before, so to be perfectly honest, he didn't even know what to say.

"I'm sorry." He simply stated and hoped that was a good conclusion.

"It's okay. You don't have to apologize." Elise started "but I already have other plans. I'm meeting up with some friends later."

Kelly didn't buy it but decided not to insist. He, who had been sitting comfortably next to her by the counter, stood up and pretended to look at his watch.

"I have to go." He spoke without making any effort to hide his frustration.

Elise felt bad for him but she simply couldn't find the right words to say.

"Well, thanks for dinner." That was all she was able to come up with.

Severide even tried to smile but his attempt failed miserably.

"Maybe, I'll see you around 51 any of these days…" He said without really believing he would see her again in a near future.

"Yeah. Maybe." Elise agreed and decided that the best thing she could do was to end that conversation as soon as possible.

Kelly didn't say anything either and just headed to the door. Before leaving, however, he couldn't help but glance at her one last time. By then, she was already taking some other client's order.

Severide took a deep breath and finally exited the diner.


	4. Last Chance

**Hello people! First of all, we'd like to thank everybody who has sent us reviews or has alerted or favorited this story. We hope to inspire some of you to write your own stories about this pair. Let's spread Kelise fandom!**

"**Last Chance"**

Two days had gone by since his epically failed attempt in asking Elise out.

Cruz and Otis had been confronting him about the bet and he had been lying. Severide had said that he was really close to win it, but he just needed a little more time. What an idiot! Maybe the best thing he could do was to accept the facts: he had tried and she had said no. He would just have to pay the two hundred dollars and then move on. Simple as that.

So, why couldn't he simply stop thinking about that whole thing? After all, it was just a freaking bet.

Kelly grabbed his bag from his locker and left the room. The walk through the hall was quiet, so he used the silence to reflect upon things a little more.

You know what? He had had it! Tomorrow, first thing he would do was to talk to Otis and Cruz, pay them the money, put up with the inevitable jokes and mocking and that was it! Enough with that bullshit already.

When Kelly finally reached the common room he decided that before leaving he would grab a snack. Distractedly, the firefighter walked past Mills and Mouch who were talking on the couch.

"But it really has to be today?" Peter asked annoyed.

"Yes." Mouch replied as if he had said that a million times before. "I've already told you. You have to hand those in person. They need your signature." The older man carried on "and today's the deadline. From tomorrow on, they'll charge a fine fee for every day you don't show up. Today's your last chance."

"Damn it!" Mills exclaimed and stood up.

"I had warned you about the deadline." Mouch pointed out and remained sitting.

"I know." The younger man agreed "but I had completely forgotten." Peter was clearly frustrated.

"I can't believe it has to be today!"

"Why don't you just call her and say you won't be able to pick her up?" Mouch asked but kept his gaze fixed on the TV.

"Well, because you don't know my sister." Mills started "I promised that I would pick her up tonight and if I don't show up…Elise has a thing with promises…"

Kelly, who wasn't paying too much attention to their conversation until that moment, suddenly was all ears.

"Well, I'm sure she'll get over it." Mouch stated and this time looked at Mills.

Peter was unquestionably upset. But somewhat conformed. He took his cell out of his pocket in order to do what Mouch had just suggested. However…:

"Hey, Mills!" Severide called him out from the kitchen but soon joined them in the TV area.

"I couldn't help but hear your conversation…" he cleared his throat "well, if you want, I can pick her up for you."

Mouch almost immediately turned his gaze from the television to Kelly. It was the same disapproving look Gabby had given him the other day.

Apparently, he had a really bad reputation among his colleagues.

"Absolutely not." Peter was firm and for a moment, Kelly thought he had been able to see his real intentions. But Mills continued:

"Lieutenant, we had a busy day today, you must be very tired. Besides, you're just leaving and all…It's okay, really. I'm gonna call her and say…"

"I'm not tired." Severide cut him off "and besides, it's not safe for her to be walking around all by herself at this hour."

Peter still didn't seem convinced.

"I'm sure you'd do the same if it were Katie."

Kelly concluded and in that moment he knew he had him. Meanwhile, Mouch was practically killing him with his eyes. Kelly then decided to stop staring at them because they were staring to get scary.

"So?" Severide pretended not to know Mills' answer. Peter inhaled and then exhaled.

"I don't even know what to say…"

"Then don't. Just tell me where I should pick her up." The firefighter smiled and accompanied Mills to the garage.

Mouch followed them with his eyes and shook his head before turning his attention back to the TV.


	5. Second-Hand Peter Mills

"**Second-hand Peter Mills"**

Severide parked his Camaro right in front of the address Mills had given him.

He gazed at his watch. Peter had said nine o'clock therefore he would only have to wait five more minutes.

Kelly stayed inside the car, watching the entrance of the building. A couple more minutes and Elise finally showed up at the door talking and laughing, accompanied by some friends.

The group stood there until everyone was gone except for her. She looked at both sides of the street and then at her watch.

It took Kelly a few seconds to realize that she was in fact waiting for Mills. Ergo, the last thing she would be looking for was a black Camaro.

The fireman got out of his car and approached her. Her facial expression was inexplicable.

"Before you think I'm stalking you or something, let me jut say that Peter was the one who sent me here." Kelly was up-front.

Elise, however, didn't seem like buying that story.

"He did warn me that you'd be mad."

"I'm not mad." She replied "but he promised that he'd come, so…"

"I know. And he's very sorry." Severide tried to improve the situation. "But he had to solve some things about his transfer to the squad. He really couldn't make it."

The expression on Elise's face finally softened.

"I swear you're not gonna even notice I'm not him."

She smiled and decided to give a chance to her new designated driver. Kelly accompanied Elise to the car and didn't hesitate to open the door for her. She raised an eyebrow:

"I'm pretty sure Peter would never do that."

Severide laughed:

"Really? I thought Mills was a gentleman." He joked.

"And he is." She agreed "but he's also my brother so he doesn't need to try to impress me."

Ouch! Kelly smiled and understood exactly what she had meant to say. However, he held the door open anyway.

"Well, you're not my sister."

Elise gave him a serious look but soon smiled. It was a shy one, but a smile nonetheless. She climbed into the vehicle and the fireman closed the door. He also smiled, but unlike hers, his was wide and transparent.

"So, what do you and Peter talk about when he picks you up?"

Kelly asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I just want to make sure I'm being a convincing Peter Mills."

He knew all that was ridiculous, but how else could he start a conversation with her without sending the wrong message?

"I think he'd probably spend the whole drive telling me about the amazing things he had done and how incredible the squad is." She exaggerated.

"Well, I can do that."

"Please, don't."

Elise laughed and only then Kelly realized she was kidding. He also wasn't being serious when he said he'd try to act like Mills.

That could be his last chance with her and he definitely wouldn't waste it trying to pretend he was her brother.

"Ok. So, how about I act like Kelly for a second here and suggest a subject?"

Elise laughed. She had to admit that he was at least trying.

"All right, Kelly. What do you wanna talk about?"

"You." He was straightforward. "Tell me something about you."

"God! I think I prefer the squad talk!" She said playfully and they both laughed.

"What do you want to know?"

"I don't know, anything." He tried to think of something "well, you can tell me, for instance, what you were doing there." The firefighter referred to the reason she was in that building until 9 o'clock on a Tuesday night.

Elise took a moment to answer, as if that was a big secret.

"Cooking classes." She finally said.

Severide looked at her surprised.

"I know what you're thinking: the waitress wants to become a chef…"

"No! It's nothing like that." He cut her off "it's just that…my sister takes cooking classes too, I mean, used to. She graduated a couple of months ago."

"Really?" Elise asked suspicious.

"Yeah. I swear to God. You can ask Mills! Her name's Katie, she's twen…"

"I believe you." This time she was the one who interrupted.

Okay. That girl was harder to get than he had initially thought. And she was incredibly suspicious as well. Was she like that only with him or with men in general?

"Look, I don't know what Mills has said about me, but I just want you to know that…"

"He hasn't said anything." Elise stopped him "I mean, besides that you're practically a superhero, he hasn't said anything." Elise joked but Severide knew she was trying to prevent the conversation from taking the direction he intended to. Perhaps it was time to change his strategy.

"You know, my sister's always complaining about how much she needs an assistant and about how hard it is to find a good one."

Elise didn't understand where he was trying to go with all that right away, so she preferred to let him finish.

"Well, if you're interested I can talk to her about you. The salary isn't all that great, but…"

"Are you serious?"

"If you're not interested, that's ok."

"No!" She cut him off abruptly "It's not that. I just…how can you be so sure I'm good?"

"Well, I ate your turkey on Thanksgiving, remember? And if that ain't good I just don't know what is."

He smiled and she did too. She was a bit embarrassed though, maybe because of the compliment.

"But, I'm serious. Really." Kelly spoke "my sister would more than appreciate that."

"Well, if it is to help your sister…" Elise joked and made Kelly laugh "but, seriously, I don't even know what to say…"

"Jesus, you sound exactly like your brother! It must be a family thing."

Elise didn't get the joke, but smiled all the same.

"You don't need to say anything or even thank me. Especially because it's you who'd be doing me a favor."

"But I thought I was doing your sister a favor."

"Yeah. And you are." Kelly had to be fast.

"But if you do that, you'll spare me hours of her complaints about how hard it is to find a decent cooking assistant in Chicago. And for that, I'll be forever grateful."

Elise shook her head, but ended up laughing.

"So how about Thursday?"

"What about Thursday?" She didn't seem to follow.

"How about Thursday for me to take you to meet the restaurant and your soon-to-be new boss?"

Elise hesitated before his invitation. She wasn't stupid and since the moment she had laid her eyes on him, she knew exactly what kind of man he was. However, that sounded harmless. If you stopped to think about it, he had just asked her to meet his sister. What could possibly happen?

"Thursday's great!" She finally agreed "but you don't have to pick me up. Just give me the address and I'll meet you there."

Severide even considered trying to talk her into accepting his ride but he was doing so well that he decided not to risk it.

"As you wish."

The drive followed for ten more minutes, altering between conversations about food, the right rope to rescue somebody from the top of a building and the last Hawks' game.

Severide finally parked in front of her house and secretly wished she lived further. Way further.

"There you go."

She nodded her head and looked at home.

"And I'm sorry if I wasn't able to be a good Peter Mills."

She laughed.

"That's ok. But I think I liked Kelly better."

On the outside, Severide just gave her a small smile. Internally, however, he was clapping and jumping around like a little kid.

Elise finally opened the door.

"Thank you… for everything." She said and only then got out of the car.

"You're welcome." The fireman replied. "So, I guess I see you on Thursday." He reminded her.

"Yeah. Thursday." She said and headed towards her house's door.

Kelly watched her going in then started his car and drove away.

It was late, the day had been long, he was super tired, away from home…and yet he couldn't stop smiling.


	6. It's Not a Date

"**It's Not a Date"**

"Hey, Severide!"

Kelly immediately recognized the voice but preferred to ignore it.

"Kelly!" Otis called out again and this time he was too close to go unnoticed.

Severide, who was checking some equipment by the Squad truck, turned to face him.

"Didn't you hear me calling?"

"What do you want, Otis?"

The newcomer checked his surroundings to make sure nobody else was there and only then carried on:

"Cruz and I were thinking, I mean since it seems like you've forgotten completely…"

Kelly raised an eyebrow.

"We wanna raise the bet."

After hearing the word "bet", it was Severide's time to take a quick look around. He approached the other fireman and said in a low tone:

"Absolutely not." Severide stated "it's two hundred each, period. That was the deal."

Otis backed away a little for safety reasons.

"Yeah. You're right." He agreed "but, it's been almost a week, ok? And until now…nothing." Otis tried to choose the words carefully to avoid any misinterpretations.

"Look, this raising the bet thing…was Cruz's idea. I didn't agree with it, all right?"

Kelly was listening to all of Otis' explanations silently, with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"I even tried to convince him otherwise, but you know Cruz…He kept saying that if you're so sure you can get Mills' sister into bed then you wouldn't have any problems with us wanting to raise the bet."

"He said that, huh?"

Severide asked pretending that he was actually buying that that whole thing had really been Cruz's idea.

"I know, right?" Otis continued "I told him that was a very stupid idea and it would end badly for us...'cause personally, I don't think we'd ever stood a chance here. I mean, what girl could resist to a guy with your…"

"How much, Otis?" Kelly finally gave in.

"Five hundred…each."

Severide laughed.

"What?" Otis said before the other man's disdain "If you don't agree with it, you'll only be proving Cruz's point."

"Two hundred is more than enough." Kelly finally finished off what he was doing "And he'll end up thanking me for that, actually."

Severide walked past his fellow firefighter and tapped him on the back:

"Oh, and you can tell CRUZ…" he emphasized on the last part "That I've got a date with her tonight."

* * *

That was not a date!

Unquestionably, it simply wasn't a date. He would take her to meet his sister and she would probably spend the entire night talking about her experiences as a waitress and about how much she loved to cook.

In reality, that was more of a job interview than anything else.

Elise took a deep breath and stared at the enormous pile of clothes on her bed. So, what do you wear for a job interview?

A couple of knocks on the door distracted her.

"Come in."

Peter opened the door only to see dozens of clothes spread around her bedroom.

"Cleaning up?"

"Yeah. Something like that." She smiled but Peter just stood there observing her from the door.

Elise carried on with what she was doing: folding some pieces of clothing and taking others out of the wardrobe.

"So, you're gonna tell me why you came here or you're gonna stay there pretending you're interested in what I'm doing?" She asked.

Peter smiled, more out of embarrassment.

"I just wanted to apologize." He finally confessed the real reason that had brought him to her bedroom.

Elise didn't understand.

"About Tuesday." He explained "I know that I had promised, but I really couldn't…"

"Kelly told me." She cut him off "And you don't need to apologize. Really."

Just then Peter entered the room:

"You sure? Because I know how you…"

"It's okay. I mean it." She guaranteed and decided to change the subject in order to put an end to that tension.

"Now, if that's all you wanted to say you better get going before I make you help me with this." She joked and Mills laughed.

"Well, then I'll take that as my cue to leave." He said and headed to the door.

"One more thing though." Peter returned serious.

"How was it with Severide? He didn't try anything, did he?"

Elise froze up at his question and wasn't able to come up with anything to say.

"I'm just messing with you!" Mills laughed and she shook her head.

"Seriously, if you don't leave right now, I swear I'll make you fold these."

She threw a pair of jeans at his direction but he managed to dodge it and went away laughing.

Elise laughed a little too and before picking up her pants she drew her attention to the mess she had just made.

That was not a date! Right?


End file.
